View source for Biology:Taiwania

{{Short description|Genus of conifers}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Albian|Recent}}
| image = Taiwania cryptomerioides - Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens - DSC02059.JPG
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{Cite journal | author = Thomas, P. | author2 = Farjon, A. | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Taiwania cryptomerioides'' | journal = The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | volume = 2011 | page = e.T31255A9620141 | publisher = IUCN | date = 2011 | url = http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/31255/0 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T31255A9620141.en | access-date = 15 January 2018| doi-access = free }}</ref>
| display_parents = 2
| genus = Taiwania
| parent_authority = Hayata
| species = cryptomerioides
| authority = Hayata
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=belinda/>
| synonyms = 
*''Eotaiwania'' <small>Y.Yendo</small>
*''Taiwania flousiana'' <small>Gaussen</small>
*''Taiwania yunnanensis'' <small>Koidz.</small>
*''Taiwania cryptomerioides'' var. ''flousiana'' <small>(Gaussen) Silba</small>
*''Taiwanites'' <small>Hayata</small>
}}

'''''Taiwania''''', with the single living species '''''Taiwania cryptomerioides''''', is a large [[Biology:Pinophyta|coniferous]] [[Earth:Tree|tree]] in the cypress family [[Biology:Cupressaceae|Cupressaceae]].

==Etymology==
''Taiwania'' means 'from Taiwan', while ''cryptomerioides'' means 'resembling ''[[Biology:Cryptomeria|Cryptomeria]]''.<ref name="gledhill">Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback).  pp 127, 370</ref>

== Taxonomy ==
The genus was formerly placed in the [[Segregate (taxonomy)|segregate]] family [[Biology:Taxodiaceae|Taxodiaceae]], it is now included in the monotypic subfamily '''Taiwanioideae''' of the family Cupressaceae.<ref name=":0" /> It is the second most [[Biology:Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] member of the living Cupressaceae, with only ''[[Biology:Cunninghamia|Cunninghamia]]'' being more basal. Its lineage is thought to have diverged from the rest of Cupressaceae during the Middle [[Earth:Jurassic|Jurassic]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stull|first1=Gregory W.|last2=Qu|first2=Xiao-Jian|last3=Parins-Fukuchi|first3=Caroline|last4=Yang|first4=Ying-Ying|last5=Yang|first5=Jun-Bo|last6=Yang|first6=Zhi-Yun|last7=Hu|first7=Yi|last8=Ma|first8=Hong|last9=Soltis|first9=Pamela S.|last10=Soltis|first10=Douglas E.|last11=Li|first11=De-Zhu|date=July 19, 2021|title=Gene duplications and phylogenomic conflict underlie major pulses of phenotypic evolution in gymnosperms|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-00964-4|journal=Nature Plants|language=en|volume=7|issue=8|pages=1015–1025|doi=10.1038/s41477-021-00964-4|pmid=34282286 |s2cid=236141481 |issn=2055-0278}}</ref> The oldest fossil assignable to the genus is from the mid-[[Earth:Cretaceous|Cretaceous]] ([[Earth:Albian|Albian]]-[[Earth:Cenomanian|Cenomanian]]) of [[Earth:Alaska|Alaska]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lepage |first=Ben A. |date=April 2009 |title=Earliest Occurrence of Taiwania (Cupressaceae) from the Early Cretaceous of Alaska: Evolution, Biogeography, and Paleoecology |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1635/053.158.0107 |journal=Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |language=en |volume=158 |issue=1 |pages=129–158 |doi=10.1635/053.158.0107 |s2cid=129574364 |issn=0097-3157}}</ref> Other fossils of the genus are known from the Late Cretaceous of Asia, the [[Earth:Eocene|Eocene]] of Asia and North America, and the Miocene of Europe and Asia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Atkinson |first1=Brian A. |last2=Contreras |first2=Dori L. |last3=Stockey |first3=Ruth A. |last4=Rothwell |first4=Gar W. |date=August 2021 |title=Ancient diversity and turnover of cunninghamioid conifers (Cupressaceae): two new genera from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjb-2021-0005 |journal=Botany |language=en |volume=99 |issue=8 |pages=457–473 |doi=10.1139/cjb-2021-0005 |s2cid=237705866 |issn=1916-2790}}</ref>

==Range==
[[File:The botanical magazine = Shokubutsugaku zasshi (1907) (20401224415).jpg|thumb|left|''Taiwania cryptomerioides'' in the botanical magazine ''Shokubutsugaku zasshi'' (1907)]]
[[File:Taiwania cryptomerioides 1.JPG|thumb|right|''Taiwania cryptomerioides''' needle-like leaves.]]
It is native to eastern [[Earth:Asia|Asia]], growing in the [[Earth:Mountain|mountain]]s of central Taiwan, and locally in southwest {{wipe|China}} (Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, [[Place:Tibet|Tibet]]) and adjoining Myanmar, and northern Vietnam.<ref name=belinda>{{WCSP|378591|Taiwania}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{eFloras|2|200005401|Taiwania cryptomerioides |first1=Liguo |last1=Fu |first2=Yong-fu |last2=Yu |first3=Robert R. |last3=Mill |volume=4}}</ref> It is [[Biology:Endangered species|endangered]] by illegal logging for its valuable [[Biology:Wood|wood]] in many areas. It is very likely that the range was more extensive in the past before extensive felling for the wood.<ref name=IUCN/> The populations in mainland Asia were treated as a distinct species ''Taiwania flousiana'' by some botanists, but the cited differences between these and the Taiwanese population are not consistent when a number of specimens from each area are compared.

==Morphology==
It is one of the largest tree species in Asia, reported to heights of up to {{convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall and with a trunk up to {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} diameter above buttressed base.<ref name=farjon>Farjon, A. (2005). ''Monograph of Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. {{ISBN|1-84246-068-4}}</ref>  The [[Biology:Leaf|leaves]] are needle-like or awl-like and {{convert|8|–|15|mm|in|abbr=on}} long on young trees up to about 100 years old, then gradually becoming more scale-like, {{convert|3|–|7|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, on mature trees. The [[Conifer cone|cones]] are small, {{convert|15|–|25|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, with about 15–30 thin, fragile scales, each scale with two [[Biology:Seed|seed]]s.

==History==
The genus is named after the country of Taiwan, from where it first became known to the botanical community in 1910.

The wood is soft, but durable and attractively spicy scented, and was in very high demand in the past, particularly for [[Engineering:Temple|temple]] building and coffins. The rarity of the tree and its slow growth in plantations means legal supplies are now very scarce; the species has legal protection in China and Taiwan.

'''''Taiwania''''' is also a journal that is published by National Taiwan University in Taiwan.

==Extraordinary specimens==
In 2022 a team of researchers measured a 79.1 meters (259.5 feet) ''Taiwania'' specimen in Shei-pa National Park. The tree was growing at an elevation of 2,000m.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Everington |first1=Keoni |title=Tallest tree in East Asia discovered in Taiwan |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4693521 |website=taiwannews.com.tw |date=21 October 2022 |publisher=Taiwan News |access-date=22 October 2022}}</ref>

In 2023 a specimen was found measuring 84.1 meters in height.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hsiung-feng |first1=Chang |last2=Mazzetta |first2=Matthew |title=84.1-meter Taiwania tree confirmed as Taiwan's tallest |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/sci-tech/202301300025 |website=focustaiwan.tw |publisher=Focus Taiwan |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Taiwania cryptomerioides}}
*[http://conifersaroundtheworld.com/blog/taiwania_cryptomerioides Conifers Around the World Special Report - ''"Taiwania Day" in Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404161342/http://conifersaroundtheworld.com/blog/taiwania_cryptomerioides |date=2016-04-04 }}.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q390313}}

[[Category:Cupressaceae]]
[[Category:Monotypic conifer genera]]
[[Category:Vulnerable plants]]

{{Sourceattribution|Taiwania}}